Two dominant backs in Cole Gemberling and Niko Carestia are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Tri-Valley Bulldogs will host the Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Tri-Valley is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Minersville just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They were beaten by the Battlin' Miners 42-14.
Despite the loss, Tri-Valley got top-tier performance from Gemberling, who rushed for 63 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 33 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Schuylkill Haven came tearing into Friday's match with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 46.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They pulled ahead with a 29-28 photo finish over the Green Wave.
Schuylkill Haven's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Carestia led the charge by rushing for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Carestia's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his eighth straight game with at least 172 rushing yards dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Niko Castillo, who rushed for 111 yards on only ten carries.
Schuylkill Haven wouldn't let Nativity BVM keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Wyatt Keefer, Colton Reber, and Castillo picked up one apiece. Keefer also set a new season high mark in total tackles with eight.
Schuylkill Haven was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 355 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 355 rushing yards in eight consecutive games.
Tri-Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Schuylkill Haven, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-1.
Tri-Valley came up short against Schuylkill Haven in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, falling 27-21. Can Tri-Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
